Shining a spotlight on Hungary’s rich design heritage, Budapest Design Week brings together over 300 works that celebrate local craft and sustainable innovation
Photography courtesy of Budapest Design Week
Words by Sonia Zhuravlyova
The history of Hungary is closely entwined with its design traditions – from folk art and craft to its prowess with porcelain and glassblowing. In Budapest, the capital, all sorts of architectural and artistic movements make themselves known – from neoclassicism to Art Nouveau by way of the Bauhaus. Budapest Design Week celebrates the nation’s rich heritage, with more than 100 venues in the capital and beyond taking part. The main event, 360 Design Budapest, has brought together some 100 makers and creatives from Hungary and its neighbouring regions.
The former waiting room of Budapest’s ornate Nyugati Railway Station, built in 1875 by the Eiffel Company, makes for a fitting backdrop to more than 300 works that range from delicate glass and ceramics to wall hangings and furniture. Curated with care by Gaspar Bonta, the exhibition’s aim is to promote local makers and reconnect visitors with Central Europe’s rich material culture.
‘We’re trying to encourage designers to revisit and reinvent techniques and forms,’ says Bonta, who explains that the display pays special attention to sustainable materials and multi-generational objects. ‘Design is like a language. It tell us who we think we are and it helps to define us.’ Here, ICON profiles five stand-out pieces from this year’s showcase.
Photography courtesy of Bence Sárkány
1. The Orja chair by Bence Sárkány, Hungary
The shapely chair by young artist-carpenter Bence Sárkány is classic in form yet has a distinctly contemporary look. The Orja, whose surface has approximately 12,000 grooves, is a one-off object – so far. ‘It’s made from cedar, which is a local wood,’ says Bonta. ‘The chair has beautiful historic resemblances of the design thinking of the past 50 years or so, it’s handmade. It has a lot of great qualities mixed together.’
2. Hourglass collection by Yara Abu Aataya, Czech Republic
The multi-disciplinary artist was born in Gaza but grew up in Prague. Her ~1 hour collection of multi-coloured hourglasses combines her love of Czech craft and design with the duality of her identity. The glassworks deal with the fluidity of time and a shifting sense of selfhood. ‘It’s contemporary design based on deep cultural heritage,’ says Bonta.
Photography courtesy of Yara Abu Aataya
3. Mermaid by Dora Abodi, Hungary
Born in Transylvania and raised in Budapest, Dora Abodi is known as a fashion designer but is involved in several creative projects, including explorations in clay. Her ceramic pieces draw on Hungarian mythology, ranging from gods to magical creatures, deftly executed in clay and coloured with custom glazes. This charming mermaid – an elusive water spirit who seduces sailors and symbolises sensuality and wisdom – caught our eye.
4. Hiding by Eszter Tóth, Hungary
Tóth is still studying textile design at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design but her pieces already stand out. The young artist mainly works on knitted fabrics and is particularly interested in combining machine and hand techniques. In ‘Hiding’, she plays with the rich texture and natural properties of cotton and wool to create a piece that tells a story as you unravel it – that of various camouflage strategies found in nature. ‘We had wonderful textile designers, but from the 1960s and the 1970s, the whole textile industry went down, but now it’s a moment of revival,’ says Bonta.
Photography courtesy of Studio Rap
5. Ab Ovo bookcase by Studio Rap, Czech Republic
Studio Rap, based in Mikulov, was founded by Vítězslav Vrbka, who now runs it with his children, Adam and Michaela. The striking Ab Ovo bookcase was designed by Michaela in 2023; it is made from pieces of carbonised solid oak, sculptural in their essence, which support thin sheets of steel used for the shelves. It is a beautiful piece of design to be admired in its own right as much as a useful item of furniture.
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